


Mysterious Misadventures of a Mischevious Mistress

by Sushion



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/F, Gen, Invisible Kingdom | Revelation Route, Multi, No Deeprealms, Revelations Route Rewrite, Second Gen Units, Second Gen Units are First Gen Units, Ships to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:21:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23373847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sushion/pseuds/Sushion
Summary: Between the Kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr, during a time where both countries are locked in strife, a young woman named Azura wanders the world, looking for those who will aid her as she forges her own path. Where will she lead her band of unlikely allies?A Revelations Route fic where Azura is the main character instead of Corrin.
Relationships: Aqua | Azura & Matoi | Caeldori
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. The Princess, The Redhead, and The Nichol

Azura let her long, messy, bedhead ridden hair dry out near the fireplace of the inn that she was lucky to stumble across. It started to rain immediately when she stepped foot into the village, and she had to rush inside without a moment's notice. Thankfully, the innkeeper was kind enough to let her stay inside until the rain cleared up.

"Hey, would you like anything to eat or drink? We have a special today," the innkeeper said. Azura checked the knapsack she carried with her, making sure nothing got wet. Aside from a couple of pieces of paper, nothing was seriously ruined. She pulled out her favorite white dress, checking closely to see if it didn't get wet. 

"Looks perfect," she said, putting it back inside her knapsack. Maybe when the sky cleared up she could wear it once more, since wearing it always cheered her up. She couldn't wear it all the time, sadly, or else it'd get dirty and she'd have to wash it again, and that was a chore. Plus, she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself. Avoiding Hoshido —or rather the capital and anyone important from the kingdoms— was her top priority at the moment, alongside Nohr to a lesser extent. And while she could probably wear it in most places without raising any suspicion, to the right set of eyes, that dress would act as a beacon to who and where she was. She especially didn't want anyone like Ryoma, Sakura or Hinoka to find her, they'd most likely chase her relentlessly and try to force her to return to Hoshido.

But that wasn't an option for her. If she returned right now, all her efforts would be in vain. Maybe she could return someday, but that day wasn't today. Or tomorrow, or the next day, or the-

"Well?" the innkeeper asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Ah, right," she said, turning to him. "I'll have, well, whatever there is to have." She could really eat anything right now, though perhaps a bowl of ramen would be delicious. "Actually, do you have a bowl of miso ramen?" she asked, her mind changing as she thought about how deliciously hot and savory it would be.

"Alright, give me one second." The innkeeper went behind the counter and got to work preparing the meal.

"Father, I'm home! We got more supplies!" A short redhead Hoshidan girl in a red and white dress shouted as she opened the front door. She looked to be around the same age as herself, and wore a white metal headband which had a feather on both ends. She was very red, Azura thought. Red hair, red eyes, red clothes, red boots, she was just red, even more than she was blue.

"Hello there, are you a customer?" the girl said, approaching her.

"Hi, I'm Azura," she answered.

"Yes she is, Caeldie," her father answered. "Come help me make her some lunch, please?"

"Okay," the red girl said as she hopped over to the kitchen, helping her father by watching the soup as he got to work cutting some vegetables and sliding them into the pot. After a few more minutes of letting the soup cook, the girl poured some into a bowl, heading to the table next to where she stood drying herself.

"Alright, hereee you go," Caeldie said in a sing-song like tone as she put the hot, delicious smelling bowl down in front of her. 

"Yay!" Azura said, eagerly stuffing her face with her favorite meal. Gods, how long was it since she last had this? Perhaps a week? Not that it mattered too her, as she was too focused on her food to care. She pushed her blue bangs out of her face, slurping the noodles down with gusto.

"So, where are you from?" Caeldie asked.

"Yea, do you live in Hoshido? Nohr? Or perhaps the Wind Tribe?" the innkeeper added.

"Hoshido, well, I live there, but I wasn't born there." Azura said, her mouth still stuffed with noodles. "Well, I mean I guess I don't live there anymore. I'm kind of moving from places to places right now."

"Ah, so you're a wanderer then," the innkeeper said. "Well, I sure hope you have a safe trip."

"Thank you," she said, swallowing her food as she slurped more down. Though to be honest, she's had a couple of bad run-ins already. Thankfully, it wasn't anything she couldn't avoid or fight off, as they were mostly bandits, and if not bandits then the occasional soldier who recognized her. Though there was that one time she helped out a family when a lone Faceless attacked a village just as she happened to pass by. Too bad they were all retired and had no intentions of fighting any further, because they were all really skilled, and having them on her side could have been really beneficial. At least one of the husbands gave her a badge that now said she was an honorary member of their old, disbanded mercenary corps. The badge was beautiful and shiny too, with the shape of a gray, ash-like demon. Maybe she'll go see them when things get better for her.

"Hey, this better be the last time I have to come here!" She heard someone shouting from outside. She pulled the bowl away from her as she poked her head out of the inn, shielding her eyes from the rain with her hand. She looked around to find a tall, lean man in black clothing pulling a man up by the shirt, trying to intimidate him. The man looked to be the owner of a nearby shop, one that sold various wares and souvenirs.

"I'm going to go… check that out." She took out some coins from her bag and let them clink on the counter before sprinting out of the inn. She was really thankful she was wearing a hood and not her dress right now, because she was getting soaked as the rain poured even harder than earlier. 

"Hey, wait!" the redhead girl called out from the inn, heading out the door to catch up with her.

"You're coming too?" Azura said, tugging on her cloak's hood to keep herself warm in the rain.

"Yea, that guy's Nichol," Caeldie said. "He's been coming to this town and bullying people all month."

"Oh dear, I see. Do you know why he's doing this?"

"Yea, someone in another village hired him to extort money from us. I fought with him once before, but I wasn't enough to beat him. But if you're going to fight him, then two heads are better than one, right?"

Azura nodded in agreement. "Let's put an end to their actions, then." The two of them rushed over to where the tall man was standing, confronting him.

"Hmm? You're doing this again, Red?" The man said, scratching his black hair as he turned to face Azura. "Who's the blue hair girl with the gold-eyes?"

"Unhand that man right now," she said.

"Yeah!" Caeldie added.

"Sorry, but I got a job to do," he said, letting the man go as he shifted his attention to them. "This guy won't pay my boss the money he owes him."

"Tell your boss that Rainfall won't be owing him anything anymore." Caeldie drew her blade, readying herself to fight him.

"We're gonna fight again? Alright then, bring it on." Nichol grabbed the lance off his back, twirling it around before gripping it with both his hands.

Azura reached for the blade in her sheath, only to find herself gripping the air. "My sword! Where did it go?" She frantically searched for her blade, only to slap her cheek once she realized her mistake. "Dang it, I left it at the last village!"

"You forgot your sword? Oh, now I feel bad for you. You're gonna be in for a world of hurt." He twirled the lance once more before he swung downwards, aiming for a hit with the blunt side of the weapon.

"I got your back!" Caeldie shouted. A white wooden blade clashed with the shaft of the lance as Caeldie pushed her out of the way to save her. "Sorry! Find a weapon!" Caeldie backed away from the clash, circling around him to buy time.

Being pushed by Caeldie sent her faceplanting to the ground, getting her clothes drenched in water and mud as droplets of rainwater splashed into the air. "Urghh…" Azura groaned in frustration as she got off her feet, going into a nearby store, grabbing the first thing she could fight with. She found a basket with several Nohrian parasols inside, pulling out the white and gold parasol that reminded her of her dress. She rushed back out into the rain to confront Nichol, raising her parasol just like Ryoma would.

"A…" Nichol scrunched his eyebrows, before shaking his head as he readied his lance. "You know what? I'm not even gonna question it." Nichol rushed at her, swinging his lance as she weaved underneath. She jabbed him twice in the chest, getting back up with a sharp swing to his chin from her parasol, then another from her fist.

"Alright, damn it!" Nichol steadied himself, throwing a fist at her with his free hand. Azura deflected his blow with her parasol, striking him in the thigh before backing away.

"Haahh!" Azura threw the parasol at him like a javelin, with it opening just as soon as it knocked his head backwards, slowly drifting in the air. She followed up, grabbing the parasol and leaving a swift whack across his face, bringing him to the ground and making him drop his lance. Caeldie took his lance away from him as Azura pointed the parasol at his neck, forcing a surrender. To be fair, he could probably try getting up since she didn't have a blade, but she could just as easily whack him in the face again to keep him down.

"Shit…" Nichol raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, you caught me. What now?" he said.

"Well, you have two options," Azura said.

"Just give 'em to me straight."

"The first option is that we turn you in to the authorities. They'll likely jail you for your crimes and imprison you for a very long time."

"Tch, so what's the second choice then? What's your game?"

"Well, that option would be for you to join me on my travels. And you are not allowed to hurt a single innocent person so long as I say so."

Nichol squinted as he pointed his hands at her. "Are you crazy, woman? You just beat me up and now you want me to join you?"

"I've been told that occasionally," she said with a smirk. "But I'm very serious."

"Ugh, it beats going to jail at least," he said with a groan. "Fine, you win. Can you get your foot off me now?"

Azura stepped off of him, helping him get back up. "Thank you, I'm sure you'll be very helpful to me."

"Whatever," he said as he shrugged. "I was thinking of leaving this joint anyways. I don't really like my boss, he's a crapsack you know? I only joined him for the money. So, where to?"

"Well, I think I'm going to head over to the next village," she said. "I want to see who he is for myself."

"Hey, could I come with?" Caeldie asked, raising her hand. "I also want to find this guy, and see why he's been harassing my village recently."

Azura smiled. "That would be great, actually. I could use another travelling partner."

"Alright, just let me go tell my father!" Caeldie waved at her, covering her head as she sprinted back towards her father's inn. As she left, the man who she just helped approached her, shaking her hand.

"Thank you so much for helping me out there," the man said. "We don't have much, but is there any way I can repay you and that girl? Please, you can have whatever you'd like from my store."

"Well…" Azura said as she raised her parasol, shielding herself from the rain. "Can I get two more for my friends?" she said, pointing to Nichol and Caeldie's father's inn.

The shopkeeper squinted, tilting her head at the tall, black-haired man behind her. "Including him?"

Nichol flicked his hand back and forth. "Hey, I'm not the one calling the shots here."

"Yes, including him, thank you," she said.

"Well, alright. I hope he doesn't cause you anymore trouble though," the shopkeeper said, handing her two umbrellas for her companions. "Good luck."

"Thank you," she said again, giving Nichol his umbrella just as Caeldie arrived.

"Ooh, I'll have one, please!" Caeldie said, taking an umbrella from her. "Okay, so my dad said I can go, but I think we should all go back inside and dry off first."

Azura nodded, and the three of them went back to the inn. She wrung her hair and clothes out at the entrance, sitting down next to the fireplace once more. She grabbed the rest of her ramen and wolfed it down as she waited to dry off. Thankfully, it was still warm enough to enjoy, heating her cold body up from the inside.

"So Azura, why'd you come here to Rainfall?" Caeldie asked.

"I'm on a rather important mission," she said, setting the bowl aside. "This mission isn't something I can do alone. I'm actually looking for allies who could come alongside me."

"I see, as a matter of fact, I've been wanting to travel for a while now. This tiny town me and my dad live in is nice and cute, but there's so much in the world that I can't wait to see. And travelling with a friend is much nicer than travelling on your own, so, if you'd like, then maybe I could tag along after we deal with that guy?" Caeldie held a shy smile, eager to join her on the road towards her goal.

Azura smiled at her, giving her a soft hug. "That sounds lovely, I'd love to have you along, Caeldie." 

"Hehe, me too!" Caeldie said, wrapping her arms around her. Azura pulled away, turning to the young man who she just fought.

"So, Nichol, how did you come to work for your boss?" she asked.

"Eh, money, was there another reason I needed?" Nichol shrugged, getting off his feet. "As long as there's food on my plate, pretty much anything goes. Listen, I'm pretty much dry as it is, I can head out whenever."

"Well, Azura?" Caeldie said as she got up, patting herself down. "Ready to go?"

"Yea, I think I'm ready," she said, getting on her feet as she checked her hair one last time to see that it was dry. 

"Hang on, you three," Caeldie's dad called out from behind the kitchen.

"Huh?" she said. Her dad went upstairs, then came back with three nice-looking backpacks with sleeping rolls wrapped around them.

"Here, take these with you, that way you can hold your stuff easier. And I even packed some new clothes for you, in case you get dirty and you need to change." The innkeeper passed Nichol a backpack, and then her, while also handing her a black shirt and pants. "Here, you can change into this now. You'll probably want cleaner clothes."

"Oh, thank you, this is wonderful!" Azura went to the bathroom and immediately changed into her new clothes, feeling much cleaner and drier than earlier. She returned to the main room, watching as Caeldie's dad as he sent her off.

"Good luck, little Caeldie," he said, handing her the last bag.

"Daaad," Caeldie said, blushing as she turned her head away from him. "Thank you." She hugged him goodbye, waiting at the exit for them to head out.

"Hehe, I love you too." Caeldie's dad waved them off, heading back to the kitchen as he smiled at his daughter as they left.

"Bye! Thank you so much!" Azura said, opening her parasol as the three of them set out. Today was perfect! she thought. In just one day, she already found two allies to join her on her mission, and she even got a fresh new set of supplies. Maybe things would turn out all right for her. Maybe she could really change things in the future after all.


	2. The Art of Avoiding Takumi

"Which way do we go now?" Caeldie asked as she slid her back inch by inch down a large, shady tree. They had to backtrack about an extra thirty minutes when Azura accidentally made a wrong turn at a small lake. Azura ran her finger down her map of Hoshido, trying to figure out which path they needed to take.

"Aqua, quit holding the map upside down!" Nichol said, taking the map from her. "I blame myself for letting you lead, you're terrible at directions."

"How did you even find Rainfall in the first place?" Caeldie asked out of curiosity, given that her village was on the edge of the Bottomless Canyon. Azura said nothing however, only giving her a shy shrug and confused look. Nichol scoffed as he scanned the area, pointing towards a large, lone dead tree southeast of them.

"There, that's the way," Nichol said. "I used that as a landmark when I first came here. We'll get there in maybe an hour or less." The three of them headed in that direction, reaching a large city built on a hill.

"Wow… It's so big," Caeldie said in awe. Rainfall was only a fraction of the size that this place was. Sinjoh was one of the major cities of Hoshido, and while it was close to where she lived, she had never actually gotten the chance to visit until now.

"Eh, little smaller than where I'm from," Nichol said as he cracked his neck. "Now, I gotta head out. I've got someone I need to see before we go find my boss. Red, I guess you should watch Aqua and make sure she doesn't get lost or anything." He walked away from the two of them, heading down to an inn next to an animal stable.

"So, what should we do now?" Caeldie asked Azura.

"Hmm, I suppose we should find anyone who could help us find Nichol's boss," Azura said.

"That makes sense," she agree. Though, she actually wanted to see the city for herself first, but they had a mission to get to. The city could come later. Caeldie looked around the city, trying to find someone who might be able to help them.

"What about that place?" she said, pointing to the blacksmith's shop up ahead. "Four Golden Weapons," the sign said. Underneath a roofed forging area were two boys about her and Azura's age. The first one wore his dark red-brown hair in a ponytail, while the olive hair of the second boy was neatly cut into a medium-length bob. It seemed like they were handling different tasks for the shop, with the wild-haired boy working on sharpening weapons while the neat-haired boy ran the counter.

"Jump up, kick back, whip around and spin..." The boy in the ponytail hummed to himself as he inspected his sword.

"How long do you think it'll be until that blade is finished, Hinata?" the boy at the counter said.

"Not that long I'd think. Did we get any new orders? How's mom, Hisame?" Hinata said.

"We've got none, and mom's still in the back working on that bow that man ordered," Hisame said.

"Funke's that guy's name right?" Hinata shook his head. "Man, that guy doesn't sit right with me."

"You're right about that, but he did offer a lot of money if we could get it done," Hisame said.

"I guess we should go talk to them..." Azura said, her words trailing off as she looked behind herself. "Hide!" she shouted, pulling her by the arm and dragging her away from the shop.

"Huh?! What's going on?" she asked as she was pulled away. Azura led her to a small alleyway behind a building not too far from the shop. "What are we- mphmphmmphm!" Her words were cut off into muffled noises, thanks to Azura putting a finger to her lips.

"Shhh! We can't let him see us." Azura poked her head out of the corner from where they hid, motioning for her to do the same. Caeldie peeked her head out, spotting a grey haired young man with a bow on his back.

"Who's that? Why do we need to hide from him?" she asked.

"I'll explain after, for now, just watch." Azura shushed her again with her finger, focusing back on the prince.

"Takumi!" Hinata put his blade down, rushing over to give a hug to the grey-haired boy.

"Hinata!" the grey-haired boy said with a look of slight irritation as he tried to push the redhead away.

"Hey!" Hisame rushed over to the sharpening station, picking up where Hinata left off. "Come on Hinata, you always do this!"

Caeldie turned to Azura from within their little alleyway. "Takumi? As in the prince?" she asked. She knew of the prince, alongside his other royal siblings and the queen, but had never actually met any of them in person. What was he doing in this city?

"Let's keep watching quietly," Azura said, not taking her eyes off the prince.

"Hey, we should spar right now!" Hinata said, bouncing up and down excitedly as he still hugged the prince. "Come on, It's been forever since we got to fight together!"

"No, you shouldn't," Hisame said as he put the now sharpened blade on a table. "Sorry Takumi, but Hinata needs to get back to work."

"I see, Hinata, go take your work back from your brother." Takumi tried pushing Hinata away, only for the blacksmith to tighten his hug, pulling himself closer. "Hinata, come on!"

"But you'll have to go back to the capital soon, and who knows when I'll see you again?" Hinata whined, bouncing up and down even faster.

"Please, can I hug just a little longer?"

Takumi groaned, wrapping his arms around Hinata."...Fine, but only for a little. And I don't want people to stare!" He said, turning his head away as his cheeks grew red.

Caeldie smiled. "Aww, that's a little cute, don't you think?" she asked Azura.

"Yea, I'm happy for him," Azura said. Caeldie couldn't help but notice how wide the girl was smiling, as if cheering the prince on.

"So what brings you here, Takumi?" Hinata said, finally pulling away.

"Urgh, I got bad news. I'll explain once I get back from this meeting I have to go to, okay?" Takumi rubbed his neck as he pointed to a tall building up ahead. "I'll be discussing something qwith the lord. Things are getting rough back at the capital."

"Oh dang, Takumi," Hinata said. "But sure, I'll wait. You know I always listen to you!"

"That's what you said last time when I told you not to challenge my mom to a swordfight, and you did it anyway. And then you got your ass handed to you."

"Hey! That was one time!" Hinata said as he crossed his arms.

"It was twice," Hisame said with an evil smirk. "I told him not to do it, but he never listens to me."

Takumi smirked, turning around as he made for the tall building. "Well it was great seeing you two, but I need to get to that meeting now."

"I hope it goes well," Hisame said.

"Yea! You got this Takumi!" Hinata said.

"Thanks," Takumi said with a smile, "but it's just a meeting, nothing special." He left the boys, making his way to the lord's building. 

Caeldie stepped out of the alleyway. "Okay, so why exactly did we hide from him?" she said with a confused look.

"He's my… Is it alright if I explain after we're finished here?" Azura said, looking away from her with a sad frown on her face.

"Oh, alright then. If that's what you want." Caeldie didn't press further as she looked back at the blacksmith shop, spotting two new people entering the area. One was a white-haired man in a fancy coat with a cane, while the other was a bald, bulky man with a massive scar which ran down his face.

"Funke! Hey again!" Hinata said as he approached the two men.

"Do you have the bow I requested?" the white-haired man said, giving them a grin that Caeldie couldn't help but find off putting.

"Give me one second!" Hinata raised a finger as he went inside the shop. Within seconds, he returned with a beautiful silver-colored bow. "Alright, here you go!" Hinata said as he handed it to the man in the coat. "Now all we need is our money and we can be done!"

"Hmm…" Funke said, closely inspecting the bow in his hands. "Gazak," he said as he glanced his eyes at the big man next to him.

"I got it, boss." The giant man grinned as he suddenly sucker punched Hinata in the stomach, sending him reeling to the floor.

"Ahhh!" Hinata screamed as he clutched his chest, rolling around desperately to shake off the pain.

Hisame's eyes widened as he turned to Gazak. "What are you-?!"

Funke swung his cane at the side of Hisame's head, bringing him to his knees. He followed up with a downward strike to his back, making him crumble.

"Hey, wait!" Caeldie said.

"Oh no!" Azura rushed to help the boys, with Caeldie following after her. Hisame got back on his arms, struggling to get himself off the ground.

"Urgh!" Hisame grunted, "y-you bastards!"

Funke let out a chuckle as he handed the bow to the bigger man. "No, I don't think I will be paying for this after all. Gazak, it's time to get out of this city."

"I got it, boss," Gazak said. Before Caeldie and Azura could even reach them, the two men had run off, taking the bow with them.

"G-Give that back!" Hinata said as he struggled to sit up, hopelessly stretching his hand out. "We spent three weeks on that!" He clutched his stomach once more, lying back on the ground as he let out another groan.

"I saw what happened with that man, are you okay?" Azura said as she reached her arm out to help Hinata.

"Ah, I've taken worse blows, but it took me by surprise." Hinata raised his neck as he searched for his sibling. "Hisame, how are you holding up?"

"My head and back hurt, but I think I'll be fine," Hisame said as he managed to get on his knees. Caeldie went over to Hisame, helping him get off the ground. "Thank you, what are your names?"

"I'm Caeldie, and that's Azura," she told him.

"Dammit!" Hinata said as Azura pulled him up. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted him!"

"Who was he, anyway?" Azura asked.

"He's some guy that blew into town a month ago," he said as he rubbed his chest. "That man who sucker punched me just now was one of his bodyguards. He's got another one, a guy in a purple scarf with a black lance. But we haven't seen him in a while."

Caeldie turned to Azura, raising up a finger. "That would be Nichol, wouldn't it? Then Funke's the guy we're looking for. He's been extorting money from my village not too far from here."

"Oh so he's a bully then?" Hinata scowled. "Tch, I hate bullies."

"What are you going to do now?" Azura said.

"Simple." Hinata went over to a rack and grabbed a sword with a red sheath and hilt. "We're gonna go find him, whack him a bunch of times, and take mom's bow back!" Hinata unsheathed the sword, revealing it to be a simple yet finely crafted wooden blade.

"For once, I agree with you," Hisame said, raising a hand upwards. "We need that bow back. Mom spent too much money on making it." Hinata tossed a green sheathed sword at Hisame, who caught it and unsheathed it effortlessly.

"Where can we find him?" Azura asked.

"He's currently staying at someplace on the other side of town," Hinata answered. "If we rush over there now, we can catch him before he can escape."

"Maybe we can help?" Caeldie said. "We're also looking for him, so maybe we should work as a team."

"Oh sure! Come on, I'll lead the way!" Hinata said. The two brothers led them down the street to a tall, large building. Hinata shoved the door open, locking eyes with the man who stole their bow.

"Give us our bow back, you dhingy!" Hinata said. 

"I see, so you're foolish enough to try to stop me?" Funke said. "And you brought help, how cute." He put the bow on his back as he turned to the thug on his right. "Gazak, deal with them."

"I got it, boss," Gazak grinned viciously, charging at Hinata as he threw a punch.

"No you don't!" Hinata deflected the blow with his sword, striking back with a hit to his chest.

"Haaah!" Hisame jumped in, striking Gazak in the head. The two brothers continued attacking the burly man, leaving them able to take Funke head on.

"Hmm…" Funke stared down Azura and herself, shifting his eyes to Hinata and Hisame before back at them. Azura raised her umbrella, still holding it like a sword as Caeldie unsheathed her own practice katana, ready to fight.

Funke raised his cane, looking as if he was going to fight back, to run away at the last second. "Time to bolt!" he said, making his way out the back entrance.

"Hey!" Azura said, "Get back here!"

"You two, get Funke!" Hinata said as he whacked Gazak once more in the head. "We'll keep this guy distracted!"

Caeldie nodded, and the two of them chased after him. Caeldie swung the backdoor open, only to find an arrow flying towards her face.

"Woah!" she said, ducking as the arrow lodged itself into the wall behind her. Funke readied another arrow as the two of them hid behind the wall for cover. Azura peeked her head out the door, only to turn away immediately when another arrow was sent her way.

"Eep!" she squeaked. "He's got us pinned down here. We won't be able to get to him this way. Maybe you can go around from behind, and we can take him on from both sides?"

"Sure," she said with a nod, readying herself to sneak around when Azura called her back.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Azura closed her eyes, turning her ear towards the outside. Caeldie followed suit, and she was able to hear… Pegasus wings? But they were louder and heavier sounding than your average pegasus.

"Ah, damn, the battle broke out without me. Oh well." That was Nichol's voice. Caeldie looked up to see him riding atop the back of a _flying dragon._

"Hey Funke!" Nichol shouted from the sky, looking down at the white-haired thief.

"Nichol?" Funke said as he readied another arrow. "Get down here and help me finish off these brats!"

"I quit!" Nichol dove down from the sky, ramming Funke in the chest and sending him flying backwards.

"Ahhh!" Funke said as he hit the ground. "Damn it all! You would think to betray me?" He got on his hands and knees, wheezing from the impact.

"Yea, cause you're shit!" Nichol said as he got off his dragon. "I don't care how much you pay me, I'm done with it!" He approached Funke, pointing the metal tip of his lance at his neck. "Now, give these kids their money back and get the hell out of here!"

"And the bow!" Caeldie said as she walked over to him.

"Yea, what she said!" Azura said as she peeped out the door.

"The bow huh?" Nichol looked down at the bow next to him, picking it up as he turned to the two of them. "I'm guessing he stole this just now?"

"Yea, he stole it from these two boys," Caeldie said. "They're in the building, dealing with that other guy, Gazak."

"I see, then let's go back inside and see what's up with-"

"Now!" Funke pulled off the bottom half of his cane, revealing it to be a sword as he tried to stab Nichol while his back was turned.

"Don't you dare!" Nichol turned around and jabbed Funke's head with the butt of his lance, hitting him back to ground. "Get out of my sight unless you want me to actually stab you!"

"Gahhh! Let me just-"

Nichol cut Funke off with a whack in the leg. "Now! Up-up!"

"Alright I'm going!" Funke held his head as he got up, running away with all the speed he had in him.

"I got it, boss!" A bruised up Gazak sprinted out the building after Funke, picking up the staff that Funke dropped as he took off.

Nichol let out an exhausted sigh. "Good riddance. How are you two?"

"We're fine, though we should check on Hinata and Hisame to see if they're okay," Caeldie said. The three of them went back inside to find Hinata and Hisame, who now had several minor bruises on themselves.

"Hey! We did it-!" Hinata cut himself off as his eyes narrowed at Nichol. "You're the guy who works for that thief!" He rushed at Nichol, swinging his blade at him immediately.

"Relax, I'm with them," Nichol said. With one hand, Nichol raised his lance, blocking Hinata's attack. "And I quit."

"Oh, sorry about that then," Hinata said, lowering his blade. "Hello there."

"Since you worked for him, do you have any idea where he stores his gold?" Hisame said to Nichol.

"Sure, I think it's over here." Nichol led them up the stairs to a door with a lock on it. He unlocked the door, leading them into a room with a table stuffed with dozens of brown bags of silver and gold.

"Woah, there's so much gold in here!" Hinata dashed up to the table, scooping several bags into his arms.

"What should we do with it?" Caeldie asked.

"Well, he still owes me the money I earned from working for him, so I'm taking that first." Nichol took two medium sized bags of gold off the table for himself. "Most of this was probably stolen from people in this city and the villages, I can tell you that."

"Then I think we should try to give it back to the people who live here," Azura said, making Hinata give her a pout.

"Aww, can't we keep a little bit of it?" Hinata begged. "We need the money Funke promised for the bow so we can afford to move to the capital!"

"We'll be fine, Hinata," Hisame said. "We'll just have to find someone else to sell our bow to."

"But who knows how long that'll take?" Hinata said. "Mom needs the money soon, too!" 

Azura closed her eyes as she tried to think, before shaking her head at the red-haired boy. "While I understand how you feel, this gold was stolen from the people who lived here. They deserve it first and foremost."

"Aww… fine," Hinata said, drooping his arms in defeat. "Come on, I'll take us to our city's lord."

* * *

He did not want to give up all this gold. With this much money, he and his whole family would probably never have to worry about food again. They would even have the money they need to buy the house they wanted in the capital.

But still, it's not like his new friend didn't have a point. That's why he was waiting outside the door while Azura and her other friends talked to the lord's attendant about the gold they just took back from the guy. He tapped his feet as he crossed his arms, waiting impatiently for this whole meeting to be over with. That's when he happened to stumble upon his favorite person in the world, walking downstairs in his direction.

"Takumi!" he said, rushing up to his best friend.

"Hey Hinata, what are you doing here?" Takumi said.

"We're delivering gold that we took from a guy we beat up!"

"Err, you beat someone up?" Takumi said, giving him a weird look.

"Yea! Cause he tried to steal from us! And he hit Hisame in the head!"

Takumi raised his eyebrows, undoing the weird look. "Ah, now that makes way more sense." He then looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at him. "Hey wait, when did you get that bow?"

"This?" he said, handing him the bow on his back. "Mom made it."

"It's finely made," he said as he checked out the bowstring, giving it a flick. "How much did it cost to make?"

"About four-thousand in gold? That thief promised us six thousand for it, before, ya know, he stole it from us. I hope we can at least break even for it, but we were going to use the money to pay for the house."

"Hmm… What if I paid eight-thousand for it?" Takumi said.

Hinata's jaw dropped as he flinched. "Woah-woah-wait, do you mean you're going to buy it? Like right now?"

"Yeah, I know I have my Fujin Yumi, but I still like having another bow on me. Let me go fetch some money." Takumi left him as he went upstairs, probably to where he stashed his money. He heard the door behind him open, turning around to see Azura, Caeldie and his brother.

"Okay, the lord's retainer said he'll handle everything from here," Azura said with a content look on her face.

"Alright! Now what are you going to do?" he asked her.

"Well, I was wondering if I could ask you two to join me on my mission."

"A mission? Sounds fun, sure!"

"If he's going then I guess I might as well," Hisame said with a nod. "Someone's got to watch after him, otherwise he'll do something profoundly stupid. We'll have to tell our mom we're leaving. I just hope she's okay with that."

"I bet she'll be fine!" Hinata said, pumping his fist into the air." After all, I just sold our bow for eight-thousand!"

"Woah, eight-thousand?" Hisame said, before narrowing his eyes at him. "Wait, you didn't give them our bow already did you? That's how it got stolen in the first place."

 _Oops._ "I did, heheh," he said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "But it's Takumi who bought it, so it's fine!"

"T-takumi?!" Azura said, her eyes growing tense. "He's here?"

"Hmm?" Hinata turned to her. "Yeah, he's here, you know him?"

"Umm, I suddenly need to go pee!" Azura bolted downstairs immediately, jumping down at least half the steps as she left the rest of them.

"Oof, I felt that," Hinata said. "What about you all? Have any of you ever needed to jump out of a conversation cause you just couldn't hold it in?"

"A few times," Caeldie answered. "I feel like most people have at some point." Hinata heard the footsteps of someone coming downstairs, looking to see Takumi with a massive bag of cash.

"Hey you two, what are you talking about?" Takumi said as he approached them. "Who is she?"

"We're talking about having to leave a conversation to take a piss," he answered. "This is Caeldie, we just met."

"Hi..." Caeldie said as she waved at him, letting out a weird laugh.

"Hmm." Takumi squinted at him, then shrugged. "You know, I've dealt with that too. Listen, I've got some good news and bad news. I'll start with the bad news, okay?"

"Sure, what is it?" Hinata asked.

Takumi took a deep breath, then exhaled. "We're going to war with Nohr."

"What?!" he shouted.

"No way, seriously?" Hisame said.

"That can't be right, right?" Caeldie said, in denial of what she had heard.

"I'm afraid it's right. Not too long ago me and my family entered a skirmish with Prince Xander himself." His best friend's face turned into a grim scowl, so unlike the Takumi he was used to seeing.

"Xander?" Hinata said. "The crown prince from Nohr? What did he want with you all?"

"Gahh, he wanted to take back some damned Nohrian girl." Takumi closed his eyes, letting out a snarl as his anger festered.

"Takumi, are you okay? Who's this girl from Nohr?"

"Some damned person who my mother and Ryoma claim is my sister. But what has she done to deserve being called that? She should have never came to the palace in the first place, then my mom would never have been injured!" The anger in his eyes transformed itself, turning into nothing but bitter hatred for whoever he was talking about. 

"Takumi…" Hinata was worried for his friend, he'd never seen him get like this.

"Ghh, sorry about that." Takumi let out a huff, still angry, but at least less angry than before. "My brother and my mom are making preparations as we speak. Me and my sisters have already warned most of the other cities, now I just need to send a few more messengers before I make my way to Mokushu."

"Mokushu?" Hisame asked. "What do you need there?"

"Ryoma wanted me to check our alliances with Mokushu and Izumo," Takumi said. "We're expecting that Izumo will stay out of direct conflict, but we're hoping they'll let us use their port as a vantage point for the war. As for Mokushu, we don't expect them to ally with us at all. Saizo and Kagero, Ryoma's retainers, suspect that something strange is going on over there." Takumi moved closer to Hinata, setting the gold bag down at his feet. "Here's the money for the bow by the way. I need to get going soon, but I have two more things I want to ask."

"Sure Takumi, what are they?"

"By any chance, have you seen my mother's fourth kid?" 

Hinata raised his eyebrow. "You mean your sister?"

"Yes, her, though I wouldn't call her that…" Takumi said reluctantly. "She's been missing ever since the skirmish began. My mom and Hinoka told me to look for her, but I don't…" 

"Don't what?" he said, confused.

Takumi closed his eyes, crossing his arms as he let out a sigh. "Look, just tell me if you see her, okay? It'll make Sakura happy."

Hinata shrugged. "Alright then, if we find her, you'll be the first one to know. So what's the third thing?"

"Alright, here goes," Takumi said, taking a deep breath in. "Hinata, I'd like to make you my retainer."

"Your retainer?" Hinata's face beamed. "You mean I'd live in the palace with you? And see you every day? When you wake up and when you sleep, I get to be the first and last thing you see?"

"You make it sound so…" Takumi stopped talking as his cheeks went red for some strange reason. 

"So, what?" he asked excitedly. "So awesome? Come on, tell me tell me!"

Takumi rubbed his neck, turning his entire head away from him. "Look, nevermind. Do you want the job or not?"

"Yes! Of course I'd love to be your retainer!" Hinata smiled, bouncing up and down before he remembered he couldn't do that. "Except… I already said I'd be helping some new friends out on a mission they're going on. Sorry Takumi, I can't leave them yet. But I can join you after I finish!"

"Alright then, good luck. I'll see you back at the palace," Takumi said as he looked back at him, still rubbing his neck.

"Wait you're not even gonna beg me to say yes?" Hinata gave him a pout. "That's no fun!"

"N-no, why would I do that?" he said, stammering.

"Cause I'm your best friend!" Hinata whined. "That's what best friends do, right?"

Takumi's face turned even redder than it already was. "W-where did you get that from?"

"From these books I bought earlier!" he said. "They're all about these two guys who are really close best friends! So close, it was said their bond for each other was strong enough to make the wife of one of the best friends jealous. Doesn't that sound totally awesome?"

" _Uh-huh,_ " Takumi said, raising his eyebrow as he exhaled loudly. "Well, it was nice seeing you two but I need to leave right now." Takumi quickly turned around, taking off in a hurry downstairs.

"Bye Takumi! Tell Oboro I said hi!" he said, waving his best friend off before turning to Hisame and Caeldie. "Okay, so do either of you know what 'Mikoto's fourth kid' looked like? It's been awhile since I last saw her, and I forgot her face."

Hisame shook his head. "I don't think I've met her yet."

"I've never stepped outside my village until now," Caeldie said.

Azura climbed back upstairs towards them, having finished her potty break. "Okay, I'm back!"

"Sweet!" Hinata said. "Hey, have you seen a Hoshidan princess that Takumi doesn't want to call his sister? Takumi said she's gone missing and that his family is looking for her."

"Umm, no?" Azura said in an oddly nervous tone. "We should get going now. Come on, Nichol's waiting for us outside."


End file.
